Clearaudio's Champion 2 turntable is about as good-looking…
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Turntables are intrinsically cool. Maybe it's that I am of the pre-CD generation, for which the acquisition of one's first really good turntable marked an audiophile's coming of age. Just as turntable technology has progressed to such awe-inspiring pieces as the SME 30/2 and Rockport Technologies Sirius III, less stratospherically priced 'tables now offer levels of performance that, if not revelatory, show why so many audiophiles (including yours truly) continue to love their LPs with something just short of fanaticism.
System
Most buyers of Champion 2s will not be using the turntable in a context quite as exotic and revealing as the reference system I used for this review (see Sidebar). The Champ 2 sat on a carefully leveled Grand Prix Audio Monaco stand fitted with an F1 carbon-fiber shelf. The Monaco was spiked through the carpet down to the concrete-slab floor of my listening room. Most auditioning was done with the $1000 Clearaudio Unify arm and $1295 Benz Micro L2 MC phono cartridge (see Sidebar). I also listened to the Champ 2 with my reference combination of Graham 2.2 tonearm and Dynavector XV…
Most buyers of Champion 2s will not be using the turntable in a context quite as exotic and revealing as the reference system I used for this review (see Sidebar). The Champ 2 sat on a carefully leveled Grand Prix Audio Monaco stand fitted with an F1 carbon-fiber shelf. The Monaco was spiked through the carpet down to the concrete-slab floor of my listening room. Most auditioning was done with the $1000 Clearaudio Unify arm and $1295 Benz Micro L2 MC phono cartridge (see Sidebar). I also listened to the Champ 2 with my reference combination of Graham 2.2 tonearm and Dynavector XV…
Sidebar 1: Clearaudio Unify tonearm & Benz Micro L2 cartridge
When Garth Leerer of importer Musical Surroundings offered the Clearaudio Champion 2 turntable for review, I asked if he could also supply a typical tonearm and cartridge that a buyer might reasonably pair with the 'table. He responded by including Clearaudio's own Unify arm and a Benz Micro L2 cartridge.
The Unify ($1000) is a slick-looking unipivot tonearm with a sexy carbon-fiber armtube for low resonance and high stiffness. Azimuth and VTA are adjustable, and a length of Clearaudio's SixStream interconnect is…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Aesthetix Io Signature, Boulder 2008 phono preamplifiers; Mark Levinson No.32 Reference, VTL TL7.5, Jeff Rowland Design Group Synergy IIi, Ayre K-1x line stages.
Power amplifiers: Lamm M2.1, Manley 250 Neo-Classic, Classé CAM-350 monoblocks; Plinius SA-102.
Loudspeakers: Calix Phoenix Grand Signature.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2 (SOTA). Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference, Wireworld Gold…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive LP turntable with geometrically resonance-optimized shape. Speeds: 33 1/3, 45rpm, variable to ±0.1%. Drive: standalone motor, belt drive. Bearing: bronze-plated hardened steel, inverted. Platter: acrylic with highly polished surface, 2.75" (70mm) H. S/N Ratio: 84dB (no conditions or reference level given).
Dimensions: 18.33" (470mm) W by 9.33" (240mm) H by 15.25" (390mm) D. Weight: 79 lbs (36kg), including motor.
Serial number of unit reviewed: Not noted.
Price: $2800. Approximate number of dealers: 50. Warranty: 5 years.
…
JBL speakers remind me of college.
I lived in a very musical fraternity house in the 1970s—almost everyone bought a new system for his room immediately upon moving in. (Not me—I mooched until I could afford the cash and space for a true high-end system, which was well after graduation.) Our house was evenly divided into three schools: the "boom and sizzle" California school had JBLs; the "reserved and polite" New England school swore by Advents—after all, the school itself was located in Advent's home of New England; and the "creative school," who illegally purchased the parts and plans…
Further up the frequency spectrum, I noticed that the speaker exhibited an emphasis in the upper midrange and lower high frequencies that manifested itself differently, depending on the instrument involved. All percussion sounded natural, but on well-recorded jazz discs, such as Bill Evans' Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Verve/Classic V88762-45, 45rpm), ride cymbals sounded more closely miked than they actually were. Woodwinds and female vocals, such as the clarinet, piccolo, and soprano in Kohjiba's Transmigration of the Soul (from Festival, Stereophile STPH007-2), sounded natural but…
The sound of Stravinsky's The Firebird (Mercury Living Presence/Classic SR 90226) summed up the strengths and weaknesses of this intriguing speaker. The explosive dynamics and ease with which the S38 reproduced the orchestra in full cry was much more reminiscent of the performance of many large floorstanding speakers I've heard—throughout this densely orchestrated work, it was very easy to follow each individual instrument on the S38s' open and airy soundstage. But while the JBLs produced a very wide soundstage, with precise imaging and considerable depth in the center of the stage, the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way horizontal, mirror-imaged, magnetically shielded bookshelf speaker. Drive-units: 1" titanium-dome tweeter with rubber surround and Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal® waveguide; 4" polymer-coated, cellulose-fiber midrange cone; 8" polymer-coated, cellulose-fiber woofer cone. Sensitivity: 89dB/2,83V/m. Frequency response: 45Hz-20kHz, -3dB. Crossover Frequencies: 800Hz, 3.2kHz.
Dimensions: 17½" W by 11½" H by 12 7/8" D. Weight: 28 lbs each.
Finishes: Wood-finish vinyl.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: NM0852-004955/6.
Price: $599/pair…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega Planar 3 turntable with QR Design Ringmat, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Aurum Beta and Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital source: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss CD player.
Integrated amplifiers: Creek 4240SE and 5350SE.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT MI-330SG. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus.
Accessories: Celestion Si speaker stands.—Robert J. Reina